My 8 Patio Favorites We Use in Our Florida Backyard
Hi friends!
We have lived in Florida for almost 6 years now and I actually can’t believe that! Also part of living in Florida for us means that we are spending quite a bit of our time outside! We really love being outside and hanging in our screened in lanai. We have a pool and a hot tub and those plus the patio means we are out there year round. We love being out there swimming, relaxing or working in the hot tub, working on our veggie garden, or having dinner outside! Our backyard has become one of our favorite places to spend time together with the pups. Over the past few years, we've found a handful of products or items that have made our outdoor space more comfortable, functional, and enjoyable for us to be out there. Really none of these are ranked favorites; it’s more of just a list that I made as the things came to my mind! But these are the things that we use constantly and honestly at this point I wouldn't want to be without them haha. If you're looking for ways to upgrade your own outdoor space, here are my 8 patio favorites for summer (and honestly, for every season in Florida).
Happy reading!
If you have a pool, you know how quickly towels, goggles, pool toys, and swim bags can end up scattered everywhere, especially if you are having people over! I got these modern looking pool hooks on Amazon and adding these pool hooks has been one of the simplest additions function wise to our back patio, but they make the biggest difference! It’s nice to have a designated place to hang wet towels and keep pool accessories up off the pool deck. We have four but honestly we could use like four more back there just for extra hooks! I also love the black finish on the hooks that look so great with our outdoor decor! They were easy to install into the stucco too!
Even with a screened lanai, Florida bugs still find ways to be alllll around you at alllll times. We have tiki torches that I will touch on below but we also have citronella candles on hand pretty much at all times. I have ordered these before, I love the stone look and I like how large they are! I feel like a citronella candle helps make evenings outside more enjoyable while adding a little extra light on our patio. We like to light these candles whether we're sitting in the hot tub or just having dinner outside! It is a helpful thing to have on hand that also just elevates the space! Like I said, we have bought these before, right now I have one from Target that I got on clearance with the wooden look! Really, it doesn’t matter which candle you get, just helps to keep the bugs away!
One of my favorite parts of our patio is our raised garden bed! We use it to grow veggies, really something different each year but this year we decided to just do all chives in it because we go through them so quickly. I love having the raised garden bed inside the pool cage because it doesn’t feel like the extra step of going outside, the space feels more connected and easy access! Plus the garden also adds color to the patio, which makes the space feel even more inviting.
This is another way that we like to keep the bugs away and add a little bit more light to an area when we are out in the hot tub or eating dinner outside! I like that they are small enough to fit on our outdoor tables without taking up way too much space but I also like that they are light and easy to move from one place to another! They are really nice too when we have people over just because nothing is worse than setting up shop outside to hang out and then getting swamped with little bugs and having to move locations inside. These tabletop tiki torches are nice too because they are easy to light and have their own topper to put out the fire when you’re done!
5. Bar and Towel Storage Table
We got this bar table for Christmas one year and we absolutely love it! I swear this is one of the most practical pieces we have on our patio because yes there is bar storage and places for things like wine glasses but we have flipped it around and store all of our pool towels on it so people can just grab a towel when they are done and not having to worry about going inside and looking for one. We love this because it gives everyone a convenient place to set drinks, snacks, sunglasses, and phones while also providing storage for towels. It has also held up so well, I believe we got it in December of 2021 maybe even in 2020, and it still looks new! I also like that I can just spray it down with the hose if it needs to be cleaned without having to worry about ruining it!
I feel like most people know at this point that we have two Australian Shepherds that are high energy and run outside about 5 times a day haha! One problem that we were running into was the pups tracking sand and dirt into our house, if you have pets in Florida then you probably know how much sand and dirt they can bring in! These outdoor runner rugs are a necessity for us to keep the sand and dirt to a minimum inside but they also completely changed the look of our patio in the best way! They really help break up the different areas inside the lanai and add texture to the patio to make the space feel more finished in my opinion! The rugs we have are 2×7 and they wash really well, I wash them once a month, maybe every three weeks if they are getting gross or if it rained a lot and we love them! If I ever do have to replace them I might get the 2×10 option but that was a user error, not the compani’s fault. I ordered them without measuring and decided to just go with it once they got to our house haha!
These rechargeable tap lamps are something that we use both inside and outside and it was so nice when I realized I was allowed to take them outside because sometimes you just need a little extra light! I love that they are portable and easy to use! They have three different light settings, and they are nice to have on hand after the sun goes down.
8. Embrighten Outdoor String Lights
We put these string lights up pretty early on in us living here and we literally use them every single day. We got them from Costco but I found the same brand on Amazon to link them here for you guys! But a little backstory on these lights, we bought them for my aunts house for our wedding reception in July of 2017 and they have lasted through all seasons in Iowa on her back patio until June of this year. I was shocked that they lasted 9 years, I am so impressed with the quality and so we put the same lights up in our backyard! Even here in Florida they have held up incredibly well through the Florida heat, humidity, rain, and storms (hurricanes)! They provide the perfect light at night and can really completely transform the atmosphere of our patio.
Living with Florida Heat, Bugs, and Humidity
One thing that comes with living in Florida is learning how to work with the weather instead of against it. I mean don’t get me wrong the heat can be so intense, there is almost always present and I can’t even with how the bugs seem to show up the second that you sit down outside and get comfortable. That's why so many of our favorite patio accessories work to help some of these things! Having a fan near us helps with the bugs, we have this one from Shark and it has a mister attached to it! The boys love that fan just as much as we do! This misting fan helps us stay cool during the hottest months, the citronella candles help with bugs, and our screened lanai lets us enjoy outdoor living without constantly battling mosquitoes. We also look for outdoor products that can stand up against Florida's humidity and ~frequent~ rainstorms, which is one reason we love our Costco string lights so much.
Frequently Asked Questions
What patio accessories are best for Florida weather?
When shopping for things for the patio in Florida, I always look for things that can withstand heat, humidity, rain, and being in the sun. Some of my favorites include outdoor-rated string lights,weather-resistant rugs, pool hooks that won't rust, citronella candles, and durable outdoor furniture. A misting fan is also a game changer during the hottest months of the year.
Are string lights safe in Florida rain?
Yes, from what I understand, as long as they are rated for outdoor use and installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. We have used Costco's outdoor string lights for years, and they have held up incredibly well through Florida rain, humidity, and summer storms. But I definitely recommend checking that your lights are designed to be outdoors and checking on them periodically for wear and tear.
What are the best patio upgrades for a pool area?
Some of the best poolside upgrades are the ones that improve comfort and organization. Pool hooks help keep towels off the ground, a bar and towel drop table provides a convenient place for drinks and essentials, outdoor lighting creates ambiance for evening swims, and a Bluetooth speaker doesn’t hurt to have on hand!
Our patio has become one of the most used spaces in our home even though it is hot outside! We have found some good solutions to different problems and now between the patio, the pool, the hot tub, and vegetable garden, we spend so much time outside year round! I think that these 10 patio favorites really help keep our outdoor space organized, comfortable, and inviting while making our everyday life a little easier. Nothing on this list is really particularly life changing, but they're the items that we reach for over and over again. I hope this list gives you a few ideas if you were looking for any of the same solutions to problems we were running into! It doesn’t take much to do some of these small changes, some lighting, storage solutions and maybe a citronella candle or two to keep the uninvited mosquitoes and from crashing the party. If you have any questions at all or anything to add you can comment below or send me an email at hello@emmatarynjones.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
XX
Emma